Many States Hit Legal Sports Betting Milestones To End 2024

• Pennsylvania, Michigan, and many states in the South are breaking records for the amount of money bet on sports in their area.

NEW ORLEANS – As 2024 draws to a close, several states with legal sports betting are celebrating record-breaking milestones in their betting handle. While some states have seen a decrease in action over the years, the majority are seeing the amount of money bet in the US greatly increase.

With sports betting revenue reports being finalized, the numbers may not be complete yet but show an easy projection of hitting a new threshold.

Pennsylvania Breaks $8 Billion Barrier

Pennsylvania continues to dominate the legal sports betting landscape, as the state with the fifth highest amount of money bet since launch. But in 2024 alone, that number is set to be $8 billion.

While Pennsylvania sportsbooks have only seen $7.5 billion reported on the year (December not filed yet), even an average month would help them clear the $8 billion barrier.

This would be a new annual high, as we predict the number will be closer to $8.3 billion, up about half a billion from 2023’s numbers ($7.6 billion).

Michigan Hits $5 Billion Record

Michigan sportsbooks also reached an impressive milestone, taking in over $5 billion in wagers during 2024. With $4.8 billion recorded excluding December, a conservative estimate of $600 million for December totals around $5.5 billion on the year.

This marks a new record for the state, who has seen the amount of money bet on sports in Michigan stay at $4.8 for the last two years.

The South Showing Their Abilities

Tennessee joins Michigan in surpassing $5 billion in annual handle, proving that mobile-only markets can generate substantial revenue. Meanwhile, North Carolina’s entry into legal sports betting in 2024 has been nothing short of spectacular, with the state exceeding $5 billion in handle during its first full year of operation.

While we’ve talked about Mississippi sports betting crumbling and not sustaining their numbers, a reason for this could be because of Louisiana. The sportsbooks in Louisiana surpassed $3 billion in wagers for the year, maxing out at $2.9 billion last year.

While many other states are hitting milestones as well, Connecticut sportsbooks reached the $2 billion mark, reflecting steady growth in one of the smaller yet consistent markets. Increasing from $1.5 billion in 2022 to $1.7 billion in 2023, a December report should put Connecticut around $2.1 billion in 2024.

These record-breaking numbers underscore the explosive growth of legal sports betting across the United States. With expanded operations in 2025 expected, legal sports betting bills in South Carolina and elsewhere, the industry shows no signs of slowing down.

News tags: 2024 | Connecticut | Louisiana | Michigan | Mississippi | North Carolina | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | Tennessee | United States